The requirement for voters intending to cast their vote at polling stations to present agreed forms of photographic identification meant that 71 people who turned up to vote were turned away.

That’s a reduction from the 112 people who could not vote in the borough in the local elections in 2023 – the first year of the legal requirement.

But council leader Councillor Jim Robbins still feels that’s too many people unable to vote – and he wasn’t very happy with the tone of an official council tweet about the matter.

Swindon Borough Council’s X accounts featured a tweet which said: “At the local elections on 2 May, nearly all voters brought their photo ID to Swindon's polling stations.

In total, 99.8 per cent of electors had the right ID and were able to vote, up from 99.7 per cent last year. That means only 0.2 per cent (71) of voters were unable to vote.”

But Cllr Robbins was unhappy with the tone of the tweet, and the number of voters who were unable to cast their vote.

He quoted the council’s message and tweeted himself: “Disappointed that the borough has put this out.

“You’ll not find me celebrating 71 people in Swindon were disenfranchise. Voter ID is still a Conservative voter suppression tactic.”

Another X user, James Head also took issue with the council’s use of statistics.

He wrote: “That means only 0.2 per cent (71) of voters were unable to vote."

“No, it doesn't. It means only 0.2 per cent (71) of people to tried to vote on the day were unable to.

“It doesn't include those that may not have had photo ID, or access to their photo ID, that knew they'd be prevented from voting.”

In the second year of the requirement for voters to bring one of a number of specified forms of photo ID, one high-profile voter who fell foul of the law was Boris Johnson, who was Prime Minister when it was brought in.

Attempting to vote in Oxfordshire he took the address from the postal cover for a magazine to the polling station, but was refused a voting paper. He said that he went home to get a proper form of ID and was able to vote.

Last year, the first year of the requirement for ID, 419 voters in Swindon were initially turned away for lack of the right papers, but 307 came back with an approved ID and were able to vote.